Cynosura

Media receptions

Use this if you haven’t got a hard news story but want to build relationships with your media contacts.  It is certainly better than calling a press conference if you don’t have anything special to say but simply want to promote your business and products.

Ask yourself:

• Why are we doing this?  What is the purpose?  Be clear in your reasoning.  If you think it is just a good idea then shelve it until you have something to say
• Who will we invite?  Unless you have a good list of journalists to invite then don’t go ahead; a half full room never looks good.  If you are able to invite local media only, then find a better way to talk to them, perhaps over a lunch or ‘fam’⁽¹⁾ tour.  You might use this as an opportunity to invite your media contacts to meet some of your clients, suppliers or key stakeholders – but if you do, be clear about the risks
• How many will turn up?  Unless you can fill a room with journalists, possibly some key stakeholders and your own (media savvy) people then don’t do it.  Expect about a quarter of those invited to attend
• What will you give them?  Drink and food yes; but beware the ‘hacks’ who come only for the food and drink but who have no intention of writing a story about your company

Also something to talk about, experience, review or watch.  Could it be attached to a site visit or ‘fam’ tour?  Have you got a new product they can sample, play with or perhaps a model for them to review?

Although you don’t want your reception to be a ‘heavy sell’ there does have to e a reason for inviting them.

Planning your event

• Identify a good venue, easy to reach, pleasant room and right facilities.  Think carefully about this; a luxurious Boardroom might be good but not if they write a story about ‘fat cats’.  A hotel venue or restaurant might be right provided you are not bringing in lots of materials or machinery.  Sometimes a medium sized office, well dressed for the occasion sets the right tone
• Date and time.  Don’t choose days that coincide with deadlines, and don’t expect them to give up a weekend day for you.  Immediately after work is probably best, especially if the event is about relationship building rather than hard news.  Make sure you tell them the start and finish time i.e. 6.30 – 8.30 p.m.  But remember that journalists get invited to lots of events, for them it is not always the treat you might imagine
• Dressing the venue.  Blank walls are pretty boring and rarely help to spark a conversation.  As a minimum have some posters or a banner, perhaps some exhibition stands, samples of your products and your marketing brochures.  They should be strategically placed; to be seen and taken if wanted but not forced upon them
• Sending out the invitation.  Give them a reason for attending, a reception simply isn’t enough.  Meeting a group of clients, a VIP or someone influential might interest them.  Reviewing a new product if currently newsworthy might also be good.  Obviously the better you know your journalists the more likely you will know what interests them and what will be judged a success
• Media training.  Get your people trained up in advance.  You will need to have a fair proportion of your own people present to prevent the journalists from talking amongst themselves.  But you don’t want to lose a loose of foolish comment to spoil the evening and become the story.  Always remember that the evening is ‘on the record’
• Presentations.  If you are planning a presentation then keep it short.  More than five minutes of speeches at a reception and the mood is spoilt.  It is better to let them see a video, sample the product, view a model or similar tactile experiences than listen to a speech or presentation.

Running the event

• Sign them in.  You need to know who attended so sign them in, give them a name badg with their organisation’s name on it.  This makes receptions easier and prevents any embarrassing moments
• Have floaters.  Your won people whose job it is to make sure that no-one is drinking alone or lingering uncomfortably on the outskirts of the reception
• Keep formal bits short
• If you have a VIP present then make sure all the media present get to meet them
• Give clear instructions about the regularity with which alcohol is topped up.  Don’t let the reception end with people feeling they are being encouraged to leave (that’s why to put a finish time on the invite).  Make sure that ‘top ups’ are paced across the whole evening, and if you run out accept that you will have to source more, but then slow it down
• Leaving packs.  Give them a leaving pack.  This might contain some promotional materials but should also include at least one gift of some substance (that does not mean it has to be expensive).

Afterwards

• Thank them for coming and ask them if they felt it had been useful
• Act swiftly upon any complaints
• If some good new relationships were built, cement these with follow up discussions
• Monitor any subsequent media coverage.

There is a big difference between knowing the theory and making it happen. For help in implementing your communications practices email us now.